


Seaside

by Driwed



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Angst, Attempted Murder, Betrayal, Broken Friendship, Character Death, Death, Fanfiction, M/M, Murder, Murder Mystery, Mystery, backstabbing, kpop, kpopfanfic, theboyz, theboyzfanfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-06-18 23:40:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 14,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15497409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Driwed/pseuds/Driwed
Summary: 8 friends stay at Q's uncle's beach house. The next day, two of them are found dead. The ambulance and police are called then Kevin wonders why they died. Another night falls then morning rises with one more dead and another injured. Kevin vows to find out who's the perp and prevent any more deaths and injuries.





	1. Brief Words

**Hi there! It's your favorite author, hopefully, coming out with another The Boyz fanfic because of lack thereof.**

**Remember, despite what i write in this ff, please love and support The Boyz! Just like your other stans, they deserve everything and more.**    
**EVERYTHING IS PURE FICTION.**

**So, read it and let me know how you feel about it!**

**this is uh, my first time doing anything horror/thriller related...so i may miss things and make mistakes, but i will do my research!**

**if this isn't your cup of tea, i have other stories that might be!**   
** My Bully ** **(completed)**   
** Sin ** **(completed)**   
** To J.B ** **(completed)**   
** To Each His Own ** **(completed)**   
** Forget Me Not ** **(completed)**   
** Dawn of Love ** **(completed)**   
** disillusion ** **(completed)**   
** Breathless ** **(completed)**   
** Heated Desire ** **(completed)**   
** MedicalHockeyAu ** **(completed)**   
** detraction ** **(completed)**   
** Drizzle ** **(completed)**   
** guidance ** **(completed)**   
** Dashing ** **(completed)**   
** Fancafe ** **(temporarily completed)**   
** Artist ** **(completed)**   
** Florescent Nostalgia ** **(completed)**   
** Skirt & Sister Chan ** **(oneshots)**   
** Different ** **(completed)**   
** little ** **(completed)**   
** He's Bad He's Worse **   
** Extricate **


	2. ㅇ1

I woke up to the sound of singing then felt something bump into me. I groggily looked around and saw the ocean view. "Look who decided to wake up." I looked to see who had spoken, but I was still half asleep. "Leave him. He's still asleep." I yawned then noticed something on the beach. A fish? A bird? A turtle? I couldn't tell as we were too far away. I only cared as it wasn't moving and it was a bit concerning. "Are we almost there?" Younghoon had pulled into a driveway and turned off the engine. "We're here. All fall out."

I looked around and admired how elegant the place looked. "Is his uncle rich or something?" "Who knows. Hey, are the others here yet?" Just then another car pulled in from the opposite direction. The doors opened revealing the rest of our group. "We thought you all got lost or something. Glad to see you in one piece." I looked around at all of my friends and felt compelled to snap a photo. No one had seemed to notice as they continued to talk amongst themselves. The sound of a door opening filled our ears and we all turned to see Changmin walk towards us. "It's great to see you all!" Everything seemed to have a positive outlook towards the future. Or so I thought.

We all entered and looked around. Everything looked so pristine and expensive. "Is your uncle a billionaire or something?" "No. Just a millionaire. Even though this place is under his name, he basically told me this would belong to me. I'm not sure if he was serious though." We all looked at Changmin with wide eyes as we all processed what he had just told us. "There's 4 rooms, so everyone can pair up. Obviously Kevin is with me, so decide amongst yourselves." I felt Changmin pull me close and drag me away.

Changmin had opened the door to one of the rooms which had a view of the ocean. "I honestly feel like royalty." I heard the door close and lock. I turned to face him and felt concerned by the look on his face. "Don't look so scared. I just didn't want them interrupting us." He pulled me into a kiss which instantly became passionate. I eventually pulled away then put my forehead against his. "Let's have a lot of fun while we're here." "Don't have to tell me twice." I started unpacking my things then heard arguing going on in another room. "I'll go check it out."

I exited the room and followed the voices to a room down the hall. "Just tell me why for fucks sake, Joon!" "I already told you, I think you still have my charger from last time!" "Do you have his charger or not, Younghoon?" They both looked at me and Hyunjoon looked slightly relieved to see me. "I don't. I never used his charger. Why don't you ask Juyeon?" Hyunjoon quietly left the room then I heard Younghoon sigh. "Can you close the door?" I did as I was told then was pulled over to a far corner of the room. "He's been creeping a lot lately. I wish I could say I'm joking, but I can't help but feel uneasy. Well, him and Haknyeon."

"Really? I've never noticed. Maybe you're just overthinking. Take the time now to relax." "Yeah...I'll do that." He left the room and I felt a bit uneasy with what he had said. Younghoon wasn't one to trust at times, but the look in his eyes said more than what he voiced. I eventually left the room and almost walked right into Jaehyun. "Oh, sorry. Are you staying in here with Younghoon?" "Yeah." He walked past me then partially closed the door. I decided to mind my own business as we weren't close enough for me to be in his business.

Maybe I should've talked to him then.


	3. ㅇ2

We found ourselves on the beach later on. Changmin and I opted for sitting under the umbrella along with Sangyeon and Hyunjoon. "They're pretty energetic huh." Sangyeon nodded in agreement then placed a card down. "Did you really have to change the color?" "Hey, I play to win." We continued playing until Changmin had let out a scream. "What's wrong!?" I looked over him, but he didn't seem to be hurt anywhere. "It was just a bug crawling on my arm." We all sighed then continued to play Uno.

I noticed Hyunjoon would often look out at the others by the water. "If you want to go, go." "It's okay." He played his card and was the first person out. "You always win." "And you always lose." I huffed then threw down a draw 4. "I can't believe you've done this." I looked and remembered that Changmin was after me. "Shit." As you could guess, the rest of the rounds didn't go smoothly for me.

We heard another scream and looked towards the others. Jaehyun was sitting down while the others had crowded around him. "Let's go look." Changmin and Sangyeon followed and I was genuinely appalled by the sight.  _"That's a nasty cut..."_  Younghoon and Juyeon carried him away and back into the house to treat his wound. "We should all go back inside. I don't want anyone else getting hurt." I pretended to follow then went back to see what had cut him. I spotted a large quantity of glass shards in the sand and some with what I assumed was blood on them.

"Well, doesn't look like you'll be able to do much moving around, Jaehyun." "Let's start up another game." Everyone had ignored Changmin's idea and headed back to their rooms. "Everyone seems so tense and I've been trying hard to get them to let loose..." "Well, a fellow friend was just injured, but that's no excuse to be rude. What did you have in mind?" "Truth or Dare. Or Never Have I Ever." "Do you want to start fights?" I felt bad as Changmin's face fell, but I had to tell him. There's no guarantee that anyone would tell the truth.

"Let's just call it a day. Are we going to cook or order out?" "You're offering to help cook?" "It's a good bonding experience for friends and couples." He nodded in agreement then led me to the kitchen. "So, I decided to make these to suit everyone's tastes." "You planned to do it all alone?" "Y-Yeah...I figured no one else would want to help out of kindness..." I flicked his forehead then sighed. He's too nice and I felt lots of people were going to take advantage of him because of it. "You need to be mean sometimes you know." "I do know, but what would I achieve from that?" I didn't respond as I didn't really know myself.

We cooked in mostly in silence unless we needed something from the other. "Thanks for helping. Things were finished twice as fast." I looked at the time and noticed the rest of the afternoon had gone by. "Should I call for them?" "If you don't mind." I headed to the rooms on this floor and knocked loudly. "Dinner's ready. Go to the dining room. I made my way upstairs and heard doors opening from both floors. "Any louder and you'll wake up the dead." I rolled my eyes then remembered Jaehyun's condition. I headed downstairs and saw him limping towards the dining room.  _"I guess the wounds weren't that bad."_  I headed downstairs with Sangyeon and Hwall and saw that Changmin had laid everything out.

"Help yourselves. We made sure there was enough for everyone." Everyone was quiet as they ate. There wasn't anything strange about it as it was actually pretty normal. Someone had broken the silence with a yelp. "Now what?" "Static..." We sighed as Haknyeon had made us worry over nothing.

I didn't know what had awaited us tomorrow morning.


	4. ㅡ3

I woke up and noticed Changmin was still asleep. I looked at the time and saw that it was 7:03 in the morning.  _"Should I wake him up...Maybe I'll make us some coffee."_  I got out of bed and left the room to head towards the kitchen. All was quiet in the house and I'd be lying if I said I hated it. I picked up the two mugs then nearly dropped them at the sight of Sangyeon. "Can you warn a person next time?" "Sorry." I walked past him and headed back to our room. Changmin was now sitting upright in bed looking as groggy as ever.

"Thank you, Kevin." I sat next to him and like an automatic response, he leaned against me. "I don't want to cook this morning..." "Then don't. They know how to cook themselves." I placed my mug on the chair then sighed. I didn't think the morning would be so peaceful.

ㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣ

We all had separated and Changmin and I ended up visiting a neighbor who lived a little ways down the road. "She's a really nice lady. She also owns two dogs." I had perked up at the mentioning of dogs and felt a bit more eager. "Ah, so this is the wonderful man you've been talking about." I pointed at myself and she nodded in response. "He looks like a good one, Changmin. Don't ever give him up." "Oh, don't worry about that. I never plan to." The look on Changmin's face didn't quite match his tone of voice and it kind of spooked me. My phone started ringing and I was quick to answer it. "You're not going to believe this..." I walked away from the both of them then asked him to explain. "What!?"

I sprinted back to the house, leaving Changmin behind. I quickly entered and made my way to the back that led to the beach.  _"It has to be a joke."_  I saw Haknyeon and Hyunjoon standing by a body lying on the sand. I slowed to a stop and looked down.  _"Juyeon..."_  "Did you check his pulse? Call an ambulance?" Haknyeon nodded but his somber look never left his face. "So, he drowned..." "That's what it appears to be." I walked a bit away from them then called Sangyeon. "Hey, what's up?" "Was Juyeon a good swimmer?" "I wouldn't know, but he could at least float. Why do you ask?" I was reluctant to tell him as he gets very emotional over things. "We wanted to invite him to play with us, but we couldn't reach him to ask." I quickly hung up so he couldn't ask more questions.

The paramedics and police showed up and started investigating. I couldn't see anything as odd as he was dressed like someone would be if they were going for a swim. His clothes didn't look like they were put on by someone else either. Was this whole thing an accident? "Excuse me, miss. If you don't mind me asking, how long has it been since he died?" She looked through her paperwork then stopped on a certain page. "It's been quite a few hours, but I'm guessing you want a specific time. 4:28am." I thanked her then wondered what Juyeon was doing up at such a time.

As I walked back towards the house, I saw Changmin running over to me with a worried face. "Why are there cops and paramedics here?" "Well...someone died..." He grabbed my shoulders and started shaking me. I grabbed his arms and rendered him still. "Who? When? Why?" "It..." I took a deep breath then started again. "Please, don't freak out anymore than you already have." "Just tell me!" "Juyeon...passed on. Early this morning." I could see the horror and shock present in his face. I held him close as I could also see tears forming in his eyes from the news.

I didn't expect anything to  
go smoothly after this incident.


	5. 으4

We were each questioned by the police and something just felt off to me. It was the time of his death that throws me for a loop. Juyeon usually sleeps through the night. He was in between a light sleeper and a deep sleeper. Did he stay up or did someone wake him? "Sir." "Huh?" "I asked where were you at the time of the accident?" "I was asleep in the room I share with Changmin." He wrote something down then continued with the questioning. The police had eventually left, but the tension remained in the air. "Um-" Everyone had quietly left to their rooms, leaving Changmin and I alone. "What is it, Chang?" "It's 2 in the afternoon, but..." "But?" "We haven't seen Younghoon."

It was then my uneasiness subsided. "Do you think he could've done this?" "Wasn't it ruled off as an accident though, Kevin?" I couldn't deny that fact as there didn't appear to be any signs of murder. "Still, where has he been this whole time?" Changmin shrugged and so I decided to play detective and find out. Just as I reached Jaehyun's door, Changmin's phone went off. "Hello? Yes? Yue, please calm down. W-What..." I could see the sadness in his face and I started wondering what was going on.

I pulled Changmin outside then sat him on one of the steps. "What was that about?" He covered his face and started speaking in between sobs. "They...they found Younghoon...he's dead." Two in one day? Is someone targeting us? No one around here knows any of us except Changmin. "Do you think you could make the journey with me to where they are?" He gave a small nod and I quietly helped him up.

ㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣ

We jogged over to Ms. Yue and saw police and paramedics. "I was on my way to visit a friend and thought he was sleeping outside." I couldn't get a good look at Younghoon's body, but I knew I had to compare his time against Juyeon's. "Excuse me-" "Can you go somewhere? This is a crime scene." I walked away as it was obvious that he wasn't going to reveal anything to me. I felt someone grab my arm and saw Changmin hiding his face. "I'm sorry for bringing you along. I just need a witness to back me up in case things get messy from here on out." I sought out another officer who was kind enough to at least tell me the time of death. "4:28am."

I was dumbfounded. Both of them died at the same time? How is that possible? Are there actually two killers? Or is it just one crafty killer? I needed more information, but these people didn't seem as generous as the previous group. I immediately thought of Ms. Yue and started looking around for her. After looking for a while, it seemed as if she had left already. "Kevin..." "Huh?" I had completely forgotten that Changmin was attached to me. "I'm guessing you want to go back?" "Yeah..." I felt guilty for bringing him along, but something told me not to leave him alone.

We returned to the house and Sangyeon had burst through the front door. "Why did you two leave so suddenly?" Hyunjoon, Jaehyun and Haknyeon eventually came out as well and I wasn't sure how well Sangyeon would handle this one as he and Younghoon were close. "Sangyeon, I'm going to need you to not freak out. Someone restrain him." Haknyeon stepped up and I sighed. "So, you all noticed that Younghoon was missing, right?" They all nodded. "We found him, but..." "But what? Don't leave us in suspense!"

"He's dead too."


	6. ㅇ5

We all quietly sat in the dining room as a lot had happened within a few hours.  _"I'm sure there was a trick...but what?"_  "Why do you look like you're thinking hard about something...?" I looked at Haknyeon who gave me a suspicious look. "Wouldn't you? We just lost two friends in one day." "I wonder why..." I looked at Sangyeon who looked uncomfortable sitting here. I looked at Jaehyun who seemed disinterested as he was looking at his phone. It's only been a few weeks since he joined our friend group, but it annoyed me to see that he didn't give a shit.

I looked at Hyunjoon who's been mostly quiet the entire time we've been here. He was never one to talk, but it was evident that he cared as he looked genuinely upset. "Haknyeon, you'll room with Jaehyun. It'll be better to stay in groups rather than be alone in case someone is after all of us." Haknyeon nodded in response and Jaehyun gave a grunt.

ㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣ

I was reading online about alibi tricks when I heard Changmin scream. I rushed out and saw him on the floor, leaning against the wall. "Changmin..." I looked and saw a rather sharp knife stuck in the wall above him.  _"_ _Letters_ _...?"_  I took a mental note, but it didn't make sense to me at all.  _"YNL?"_  I looked down at Changmin who was now shaking. I found it strange that no one else had come out of their room to see who had screamed. I didn't want to believe that Changmin staged it, but I couldn't rule out that possibility. I took the knife out of the wall while covering my hand with my shirt.

We quietly sat in the room as I comforted Changmin. "I'm going to need you to be honest with me." "Huh...?" "What happened out there?" I honestly didn't want him to remember such a terrible thing, but it could be a clue towards our friends' deaths. "I was walking back to the room and something whizzed past me. I stopped and looked and saw the knife sticking out of the wall and screamed." What really bothered me is that I was the only one to check. It's not like he screamed low enough for only me to hear. I wanted to investigate, but I couldn't stand the idea of Changmin being alone.

"Oh, we heard it. We assumed he was attacked by another bug or lost a game." I don't blame Jaehyun for thinking that as Changmin usually does scream for those reasons. We headed upstairs as I started wondering how he knew I was talking about Changmin. I knocked on Sangyeon's door and it was answered by Hyunjoon. "Did we hear a scream? No, we didn't, right?" I saw Sangyeon nod his head then go back to reading. How was it possible that two people could hear it but the others not? I decided to put that to the side and investigate the now empty bedroom.

I looked through Juyeon's bag, knowing that the police might've taken anything that was deemed suspicious. "Hm, a book? Juyeon doesn't read books like these." Changmin reached over to take it out, but I stopped him. "We shouldn't be touching this with our bare hands. Are there gloves or something around here?" I quietly followed him as he led me to a closet full of tools. "Should we just take the whole thing?" "Leave it for now."

I looked through the bag as Changmin flipped through the book. "Hey, it's marked off right here." He leaned over and showed me a page with a bit of writing and a highlighted sentence. "Is that Juyeon's writing?" "I'm not sure...If only we had a sample of his writing." I looked at the highlighted sentence and felt somewhat uneasy about it.

"Friends can be your worst enemy, Julia."


	7. ㅇ6

"Is she home yet?" "She said she'd call when she gets there." I drummed my fingers against the table as I wanted to know the state Younghoon was found in. I felt arms wrap around me and hot breaths on my neck. "I'm sure the police will catch whoever killed Younghoon. So, why not stop all of this and relax?" It was nice that Changmin cared about my health, but I didn't like the fact that he wanted to sweep it all under the rug. His phone rang and he eventually answered it. "You're home? Okay. Mhmm. Bye." "You can stay since you want to relax so much. I can't, knowing someone is out there who might be after us."

I rang her doorbell and was surprised by one of her dogs pouncing on me. "Oh my. Spirit, come here. I don't know why he did that. I apologize." I shook my head then asked her about Younghoon. "Let's see, he was lying down but his head was turned to the side. Left I believe. He was wearing pajamas and slippers. One would believe he died in his sleep." It would've been better had I actually been there to observe him like I did with Juyeon. "I'm sorry to ask this of you, but could you take me back to where you found him?" "Sure."

The sun was almost set, so I turned on my phone's flashlight. I looked around, but I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Was he killed here or placed here? "Oh!" I turned around and waited for her to talk. "There was a plastic bag beside him. They believe that was the method." "So he died from suffocation?" She nodded then looked at the watch on her wrist. I could understand why as stabbing him would be messy and hard to hide if you don't plan beforehand. "Thank you, Ms. Yue. We can head back now." Just as we walked away, I saw something written in the dirt.  _"X?"_

By the time I had gotten back, the sky had become completely dark. I closed the door behind me and found the place quiet. Too quiet. I walked as quietly as I could to Jaehyun's room and listened for any movement.  _"Nothing..."_  I went to our room and cracked it open slightly.  _"He's not here..."_  I went upstairs and checked Sangyeon's room. I saw them sitting in silence and wondered what they were doing. "Do you really think someone wants us all dead?" "Don't let Kevin get to you. He's just excited that he can play detective. It's not like he'll solve anything."

"But he may be onto something." "I'm in agreement with Jaehyun. He brought me along against my will at times too." I was crushed to hear that come from Changmin. I thought he'd at least be supportive of me, but it turns out I put too much trust in him. "You're all saying how he wants to play detective, but he's the only one out of all of us who's doing something. Don't you feel their deaths were planned or something?" "You too, Sangyeon?" "I just want to know who and why. I couldn't care less about anything else." I'm sure if I was present, none of this would have been spoken of. I decided to stay put and learn as much as I could, even if it hurt.

"Say, Changmin." "Yeah?" "Do you really love Kevin?" "You can't just change the topic." "He's avoiding the question which means he doesn't." "No, I do." "You sound unsure though." I heard something hit a hard surface and a gasp or two. "It's none of your business." "So, it's okay if I tell him what happened between you and Younghoon?" Everyone had fallen silent and I could feel the anxiety inside me rising. "Don't you dare open your mouth. Nothing happened between us." "Sure, and I'm the president." "Can we just get back on topic?"

"Liars are the worst friends."


	8. ㅇ7

Everyone had fallen silent at Hyunjoon's sentence. "You aren't very truthful yourself, Joon." "Maybe so, but I lie only when it won't hurt anyone nor anything." "I've had enough of this, I'm going back to my room." I quickly hid in one of the closets then cracked it open so I could see out. Haknyeon had come out, followed by Sangyeon. "Haknyeon, don't go anywhere alone. Who knows what'll happen." "This is what annoys me. You always act like you're our dad when you're clearly not. Just stop. We don't like it." "Well, I'm sorry for actually caring about you idiotic shits." Sangyeon had gone back in while Haknyeon stood there for a bit before going downstairs.

 _"People really do show their true colors during a crisis..."_  I was about to leave the closet until I saw Changmin step out. I turned off my phone as I saw him take out his. "Ms. Yue, is he still with you? No, he isn't back. Thank you." I wasn't sure if I should feel happy that he cared or disappointed that it was probably all fake. He stared at the bedroom door for a bit before going back in. It was then that I heard a loud thud and loud voices.  _"Do I go? But what if..."_  Haknyeon had come back up and disappeared into the room, which only increased the loudness. I decided to yolo it and head inside as well.

Everyone quieted down at the sight of me. Sangyeon was holding Hyunjoon who was growling at Jaehyun until I had entered. Changmin was rubbing his arm and I assumed he was the one that fell and caused the thud sound. Haknyeon was behind Jaehyun holding his arms back. "Did I miss anything?" I tried to sound as clueless as I could to not arouse suspicion. "No, not really..." Everyone had calmed down and sat down in their original places. I sat next to Sangyeon and Haknyeon as I didn't want to interact with Changmin just yet. "Where have you been?" "Oh, just in town. Wanted to see if there was anything fun around."

After talking for a while, everyone left to their rooms. I knew I shouldn't trust any of them, but Sangyeon was the least suspicious. "What's up?" "I wanted to know about Younghoon as you two were close." "Why are you asking?" "I never properly got to know him." He seemed to buy into my lie. "Well, you already know that he's a liar. A good one at that. He had quite the intimidation factor and usually got what he wanted. Like that one time he and Ch-actually, no. Never mind." I wanted to ask, but my relationship problem could wait. "Oh! He told me he constantly wrote in a book, but wouldn't tell me which..." Could it be?

Not much of what else was said had importance, but I sought out the book we had found in Juyeon's bag. I compared the writing to a note I had kept from Younghoon, but was disappointed to see it didn't match.  _"Then is it really Juyeon's writing?"_  I closed my bag and slid it back under the bed. The door opened revealing Changmin. "I'm going to take a walk. Stay safe." I walked past him then heard him call my name. "It's dark out...stay inside. Please."

I found myself wandering around as I didn't know where I was. It was pretty dark as there weren't a lot of streetlights.  _"Maybe I should've stayed inside."_  I sighed then kept walking. I stepped and felt myself falling flat on my face. I felt searing pain in my ankle and had tried hard to keep quiet. I turned on my phone's flashlight and saw I had stepped into a pothole. I noticed something reflecting the light. "A key"? I picked it up then noticed letters on it.

_"Y.H? Younghoon?"_


	9. ㅇ8

I woke up and felt stiff as hell. I looked around me and saw that I had fallen asleep outside.  _"I'm glad I wasn't killed, but I'm upset that no one bothered to look for me."_  I tried standing up, forgetting that I had hurt my ankle. I sat back down then decided to call someone. Just as I was about to call Changmin, an older man had come out of his house and rushed over to me. "My, you're another victim of this god forsaken pothole. They keep saying they'll fix it. Bunch of liars. Let me help you up." I was thankful for this man's kindness, but it made me wonder why he hadn't helped the night before.

"Ah, so that's what happened." "Yeah. Sorry to bother you, Mr. Jo." "No, no, I'm sorry. If I wasn't passed out from drinking last night, I could've helped you sooner." He finished wrapping my ankle then told me to lie down. "Make sure to keep it elevated." I complied then looked around. It was a cozy home. I wondered if he lived alone. "Mr. Jo?" "Yes, sir?" "Do you live alone?" "Nope. The wife and kid are gone for the week." "Oh." I sighed and wondered how long I was going to be here. I wondered if any of them would bother to call me. I doubted it.

"Where you from?" "Ah, the city." "How's the suburb life here? Do you like it?" "It's alright. I like the scenery here." He nodded then placed food in front of me. "Oh, thank you..." I wasn't sure if I should eat it as I didn't know what kind of intentions he had. "It's fine, it's not poisoned. I'll eat it and show you." He took a bite out of all of it and he looked fine. "Thank you." I quietly ate then felt my phone vibrate. "Look who finally decided to call..." Mr. Jo seemed to have gotten the hint and left. I answered the phone and it was quiet on the other end.  _"Who calls someone and doesn't say anything..."_  I was about to hang up when I heard a sob. "I-I'm scared."

Scared? Is he joking with me? "Changmin, what's going on?" "I don't know. I woke up and it's completely dark in here. I can't move." I wanted to go and find him, but I had my ankle to worry about. "Do you hear anything?" "...leaves rustling. Birds chirping. Footsteps." He hung up and I never felt more worried in my life. He sent me a text saying he heard them getting louder. I texted him back and waited for a response. I sighed then tossed my phone to the side. I started to wish I never agreed to go on this trip.

Mr. Jo had entered and walked over to me. "We should get you home. Do you know your address?" I nodded and told him the address. I was thankful for his kindness and hoped I'd meet him again.

ㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣ

"Thank you, sir." Mr. Jo left and I found myself in Sangyeon's arms. "What the hell happened...?" "Pothole. Where's Changmin?" He shook his head then sat me down on the couch. "Actually, I haven't seen any of them at all today." "Huh? No one of them were in their rooms?" He shook his head again then left for the kitchen. I started worrying about Changmin as I haven't heard back from him. As if trying to calm my worries, my phone started ringing. "Kevin. I'm okay. Haknyeon found me. I was in a trash bag..." "The fuck?" "I don't know. Haknyeon, I'm going to go over there for better signal. Kevin, I don't know how Haknyeon knew where I was and it's scaring me just as much as finding out I was in a trash bag. It had YNL on it..."

I sighed then saw Sangyeon place a cup of tea in front of me. "What's going on?" "Nothing in particular." "Well, I'll be upstairs if you need me." I gave him a smile then wondered why Changmin had been threatened twice, whereas Younghoon and Juyeon were killed on the spot.

_"Why didn't you do anything...?"_


	10. ㅇ9

Changmin and Haknyeon were the first to come back. I became suspicious of Haknyeon as he had scratches all over him. "Haknyeon, do you mind if we talk?" "Fine." I patted the spot next to me and gestured for Changmin to leave us. "Why are you covered in scratches?" He instinctively covered his arms then sighed. "I was tailing Hyunjoon, but I lost him. Then I saw a trash bag that was moving." I couldn't judge whether or not he was being truthful, but there was nothing to say he was lying. "Why were you tailing Hyunjoon?" "I was worried about him. He looked upset last night. Also, I found this in his bag." He revealed a book that had a lock on it to me.  _"This could be Younghoon's..."_  "May I hold onto it? I think I can get this open." He nodded then stood up. "This conversation never happened."

I tried putting the key in and it seemed to fit. I turned it, but it didn't open. I tried it the other way and it didn't open.  _"Then who's book is this?"_  I covered it with a pillow as the front door had opened. "Hey, Hyunjoon." He sat down next to me and it kind of spooked me. "What happened to your ankle?" "Pothole." He nodded then reached over to touch it. "I have a question." "Hm?" "I heard you were out this morning. Where did you go?" "Town. I wanted good breakfast." "I see. Did you get any?" "Yeah." I noticed he kept looking at my ankle. I was hoping he didn't notice that I had put the key there at the last minute.

"Get better. You're going to need it." "What do you mean? Hyunjoon?" He walked upstairs and I couldn't help but make him the most suspicious on my list. I heard someone walk back in and was kind of relieved to see Sangyeon. "Hyunjoon...I'm worried about him. I think he's really shaken up about all of this. And Haknyeon has been sneaking around lately. And Changmin...he always looks close to having a meltdown. We're all a mess and I just..." I couldn't help but pat his back as he probably has it rougher than us.

"We all should just relax and think rationally, but I really want to get to bed..." Sangyeon helped me back to the room then left after I got situated. "Kevin." "Not now, I'm trying to sleep." "But it's important." "What could be more important than thinking of ways to keep us alive?" He quieted down after I said that and I was a bit thankful. "Kevin, please." "What is it?" I waited for him to speak, but it seemed as if he wasn't going to. "You're going to hate me after I tell you this, but it's been eating me alive." "Go on." I heard him sigh and assumed it was about what I heard the night before.

"I went to a party with Younghoon, Eric and Juyeon." Eric? I hadn't heard that name in a long time since then. I didn't know him too well, but he and Hyunjoon used to date. They were a cute couple. "We were having a good time, lots of dancing and dirty jokes. I got wasted and you know how I get. I saw Juyeon and Eric go off somewhere and Younghoon had dragged me elsewhere. We were both pretty drunk and we kissed." I wondered how long he's been keeping quiet about the event. "There's more." "More?" "It escalated from there. Basically, we fucked." I sighed heavily and honestly thought of breaking up with him. I could forgive a kiss, but sex was another story. But, I was curious as to what happened between Juyeon and Eric.

"Do you know what happened between Eric and Juyeon?" "Not really. All I remember is that Eric wasn't the same, like he was scared of something."

"Flinching at the slightest touch."


	11. ㅡ10

Night had fallen and we all sat down to eat. None of us felt like cooking, so we opted for take out. We all got something different except Hyunjoon and Haknyeon. "Remember, keep your wits about you, especially at night. There's a killer out there." Everyone nodded and we started digging into our food. "Hey! Are you okay!?" We all looked and saw Haknyeon spitting out his food and clutching his throat. I dialed 119 then rolled Haknyeon onto his side. I told them the situation and couldn't help but feel sorry for the state he was currently in. "What are you doing?" I didn't respond as I didn't want to cause them any more worry than what's already been.

The paramedics took Haknyeon away and asked me to go with them as I may have it on myself. The others watched as I got in and was taken away.

ㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣ

"You're in the clear. How did you know what it was?" "I guessed. He looked like he was in pain, so I just acted." He praised me for my quick thinking then left. I wondered how Haknyeon fit into all of this craziness and felt more confused by the minute. Two deaths, two death threats and one almost death. Juyeon's was ruled as an accident, but I still feel his death was murder. Why? Because why would he be up at 4:30 in the morning? What if that wasn't even his correct time of death and it was actually slowed down or sped up? I started considering that possibility. But who would want these four dead? And why is Changmin only being threatened and not finished off like the other 2? Is he staging them himself?

I was taken back to the house and saw that all of our food was taken away and things were marked off. Changmin ran over to me looking worried and upset. "What's going on? What's wrong with Haknyeon?" "They said it was cyanide poisoning." "WHAT!?" I sighed and walked to the room he and Jaehyun shared. Jaehyun was being questioned, so I quietly closed the door and waited. The policewoman walked out and I walked in. "What?" "Nothing. Where's Haknyeon's things?" He pointed to the other bed then closed his eyes. It amazed me yet pissed me off with how calm he is about everything that's going on. It makes me wonder if he's the cause of it all. I looked under the bed and dragged his bag out.

I found a small book full of abbreviations and short phrases.  _"The hell? Y > E but J? f18a12l20l? Liar, liar...?"_ I kept reading, but only managed to confuse myself more. I hid the book in my jacket and left the room. "Hey." I stopped in my tracks then faced Jaehyun. "You should quit while you're ahead. Death only awaits you." "What...what do you know? You're hardly ever present and so calm when things go wrong." He chuckled then gave me a serious look. "Because I have nothing to do with any of it." I wanted to ask him what he meant, but someone had dragged me out of the room.

"Now what Changmin?" "Sangyeon..." "Huh?" He dragged me to the beach and stopped in front of an unresponsive Sangyeon. I felt for a pulse and was relieved to see that he was alive. "How did he get like this? Weren't you all here?" "We were...but, I don't know how...What if Hyunjoon is in trouble!?" "Wait-" Changmin had already started running down the shoreline while looking behind rocks. I managed to pick up Sangyeon and bring him back inside. I debated whether or not to take him to the hospital, but he had already started to stir. "Sangyeon, what happened?"

I should've kept a better  
eye on everyone that night.


	12. ㅁ11

"Sangyeon..." He was awake, but he wouldn't respond to me at all. Was he still in shock? It could be possible, but was it that shocking to make him mute? No matter what, Sangyeon definitely was the key to solving this mess. I didn't want to leave him alone, but I needed to out and bring Changmin back. "If you can understand me, can you come outside with me to find Changmin?" He quietly followed me and it hurt to see him like this.

"Changmin! Where did you run off to!?" I didn't know how big this beach was, but I didn't want to walk too far as I didn't want to end up somewhere that I can't find my way back from. Plus, it was pretty dark out as the only light came from other houses and cars passing by. I felt something grab my arm, causing me to jump and swing. Luckily I had missed as it was only Sangyeon who seemed to be looking at something. I looked out towards the water and saw something floating. "I can't see...Are you up for a swim?" He nodded and was grateful I wouldn't have to go alone.

We got closer and saw that it was Changmin lying on a narrow board, dangerously close to falling in. I brought him close to me while keeping his head up and out of the water. He was knocked out cold, but didn't seem to have any visible injuries. As we arrived at the shoreline, I picked Changmin up then sighed. "Hey." I jumped at the sound of the voice then felt something hit my arm. "Sangyeon?" "Letters." I noticed he held the narrow board in his hand while the other pointed to letters. "YDN." It wasn't YNL this time, and I haven't even figured that out.

I dried myself off while looking out the window in our room. I thought of the abbreviations and letters that I've seen.  _"YNL, X, YDN and the ones in his book too..."_  I heard a knock on our door and saw Hyunjoon come in. "How's your ankle?" With everything that had gone on, I had completely forgotten. "I'm not sure. It hasn't kicked in yet." He moved closer to me and looked me straight in the eyes. "There's not much time left here is there..." I shook my head without breaking eye contact. "I hope we can all take trips together after all of this..." I couldn't tell what he was feeling as his expression was unreadable. He gave me a smile and briefly looked at Changmin. I saw his mouth move, but heard nothing. He walked out without another word.

ㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣ

I slowly opened my eyes then quickly sat up. I felt yesterday's efforts rushing into my ankle and wondered if I'd be able to move at all today. "You're awake..." I looked over and saw Changmin standing by the window. "And so are you." "I've thought about things..." "So have I." "So, you know how I told you about what I did with Younghoon, and I'm pretty sure you want to break up." "Right." "I don't want to...I really do love you." It was cute that he decided to profess his love for me while admitting once again that he cheated.

"I still love you too, but do you really think I can be okay knowing my boyfriend fucked another guy?" "I see your point..." It became silent in the room then I heard faint footsteps on the stairs. "Can you be my eyes and see who's out there?" "Sure." He walked over to the door and opened it. "It's just Sangyeon. Do you want me to call him over?" "Yeah." He looked back out then closed the door. "Why'd you do that?"

"He disappeared."


	13. ㅡ12

"Disappeared? What do you mean?" "He was there and now he's not." "Did he not go into a room or anything?" "I didn't hear a door open." I shook my head then attempted to get out of bed. "Do you need help?" "Obviously." "Kevin, take your sass, and put it in your pocket." I rolled my eyes then held my hands out. He walked me out of the room and to where he last saw him. I looked around, but nothing stood out. "Call him." I waited for Changmin's call to get through then felt relieved when he did. "Hello? Hello...?" "Is he mute again..." Changmin's face had nothing but horror present on it. "What? Tell me." Changmin moved the phone away then spoke low to me. "There's something disturbing playing on the radio."

Why is Sangyeon in one of the cars? Is he leaving without us? "Well, the call was cut off, but I did hear another voice with him. It was too muffled to tell." "What did they say?" "I'm not sure...it's between silent or violent." "Neither sounds good..." I didn't know what to do as I have no idea where he went and who with. I asked Changmin to check the rooms as I couldn't myself. "It's just us." I felt like I was close to having a breakdown. "Kev..." "Don't touch me." It came out harsher than I meant, but he didn't seem the least bit shocked. "Sorry..." I started thinking about the possible meanings of the letters and phrases in Haknyeon's book. "Do you mind bringing me paper and a pen?" He left and quickly came back and handed them to me.

"What are you doing...?" "Using my brain." I wrote down the letters and numbers and looked to see if there's a hidden message. "If we separate the letters from the numbers...you get fall xx1220..." "Maybe it's a date." I looked at Changmin then back at the numbers. "Search up things for that date. Obviously years before as we haven't reached fall yet." I went about solving the three letters then felt a tap. "I found an article...it's about Eric." "Eh?" I took his phone then scrolled through it. "Now I get it...fall xx1220 is the day of his death. When he fell..." What confused me was why Haknyeon would have this written.

My phone started ringing, so I took it out to answer it. "Hello? Is this Kevin Moon?" "Yes." "I'm sorry, your friend didn't make it. It seems it was fast acting and..." We talked a bit longer before I hung up. "What was that about?" "It looks like I lost another source of information..." I hit the table then groaned in frustration. "Kevin..." I ignored him as I went back to solving these letters. "You can push me away, ignore me, physically and mentally hurt me, but I'll still cling to you." "Do you hear yourself right now?" He nodded and I honestly wondered if he had lost his mind. "Don't ever say that again. Just go drink water or something...I don't know." Y > E but J. If we assume E is Eric, then Y could be Younghoon. What stumped me is who J is, as it could be Juyeon, Jaehyun or Hyunjoon's nickname.

"I think it's Juyeon." "Why?" "Well, if this is related to Eric's death, Younghoon and Juyeon were there. There was a third, but I don't know who." "Why did you keep something like this from me?" He showed me the article which showed their names. "Oh." Younghoon > Eric but Juyeon. It didn't make any sense. "I think it's safe to assume YDN could mean 'you die next' as the threats have been getting worse." "But, I wasn't there during Eric's death..." "Maybe you did something before and don't remember." I looked at the information I had uncovered and wondered who killed Haknyeon as he was innocent from the event.

"Kevin, I think we should  
hide all of this..."


	14. ㅇ13

We quietly sat in our room as whoever it was walked around outside. "I'm coming in." We watched Jaehyun enter holding a bag. "This is new. What are you planning?" "Nothing." He left the bag on the table then left the room. Changmin got up to check inside then quickly backed away. "Now what..." "It's full of things we're allergic too...mostly me." "How does he know your allergies..." I wanted to get up and badger him with questions, but my ankle prevented me from doing so. "I'll go ask." "No. He could be dangerous." The door had opened revealing Hyunjoon. "That's where it went..." He switched bags then left.

Changmin slowly inched over and broke into a smile. "It's full of our favorite sweets..." I found it strange that two extremes were brought into our room. "Do you want one?" "Don't touch anything. We don't know if it's been laced with poison or something." I couldn't have another death on my hands. Even if things with Changmin are rocky, his life is still precious. The door opened again and Sangyeon had ran over to me. "Sangyeon...?" It was strange to see him being so clingy, but I figured something had happened and he sought me out for safety. "Hey, don't get comfortable, Sangyeon." "Now isn't the time for jealously..."

ㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣ

Changmin brought back food as I continued to decipher YNL. "If we were to assume it's related to YDN...then y is probably you..." "Liar." I noticed Sangyeon had pointed to the L and it made me wonder what he knew. "YNL...y - you; n - ?; l - liar...'you're next liar? Or 'you now liar'." I looked at Changmin who looked panicked. "Liar? Sure, I lied to you about what happened..." He seriously looked worried for his life. "Well, the last thing left would be X. There's not much to go off of with this..." I sighed then lied back on the bed. I'm starting to get a grasp of things, but more questions arise than answers. We heard the door starting to open and quickly moved to hide everything.

"Jaehyun..." "Did you eat the desserts?" "How do you know if this isn't the bag you brought in?" I held the bag while looking him in the eyes. "Hyunjoon bought them for you and told me to bring them to you." Hyunjoon? But the first bag...Was it on purpose? "When he gave you the bag, did he just hand it to you or was there a delay?" "Dunno. I was too busy reading. Anyway, don't let them go to waste." He took one out of the bag then left the room. "Well, hopefully he'll be okay, but..." Did Hyunjoon really intend for us to have that bag? "Treasure." I looked at Sangyeon who was looking at my notes that I hid. "I don't think there's anything there, but it wouldn't hurt to check. When I can move..."

"We can go in your stead. I won't pull anything." And so they left to go investigate where I saw the X. If something is buried there, what could it be? Something else of Younghoon's? I wanted to close my eyes, but I couldn't trust the other two. I slid myself over to the door and locked it, hoping it would keep them out. I lied back down on the bed and closed my eyes. I hoped that nothing would happen as I slept.

ㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣ

I slowly opened my eyes as I felt incredibly hot.  _"What the..."_  I looked around me and a good portion of the room was on fire. I quickly got up then felt pain as I put weight on my ankle. I unlocked the door and turned the knob.  _"..."_  I tried turning the knob a few more times.  _"It's blocked off..."_  I looked towards the window the noticed it was broken in a certain spot. The fire was denser by the window which was my only other means of escape. _"Where's Hyunjoon and Jaehyun...? Did they leave!?"_  I called the both of them, but only Hyunjoon picked up. "Where are you?" "Town." He hung up and I had started coughing. I decided to risk it all.

_"Die."_


	15. ㅁ14

I quietly waited in pain as the sound of faint sirens were heard. I had already looked around and saw nothing suspicious. What I failed to see was glass shards on the ground and ended up puncturing my skin. I sighed then slowly closed my eyes, letting tiredness consume me.

I woke up in a hospital bed with a new bandages on my ankle and a few band aids on my arms. "You're awake. We started to worry." "Why?" "Well, you slept for 2 days straight..." "Sir?" He hummed in acknowledgment while looking at papers. "How did I get here?" "Fire department." "Was there anyone else at the house?" "'Fraid not." It concerned me as Changmin and Sangyeon hadn't come back from investigating X. Maybe I shouldn't have trusted them. He rattled things off and I hardly payed him any mind as I wanted to know who wanted to kill me and knew I'd be in the room.  _"It has to be one of them...An outsider wouldn't have known, right...?"_

It was quiet in the room and I had nothing to do. He said they'd keep me overnight just in case something were to go wrong despite the slim chance of anything actually happening. I worried about their safety as I haven't heard from either. The door opened and a nurse walked in. "Excuse me..." "Yes?" "There's someone I want to contact..." "Name and number and I'll do it for you." I told her Sangyeon's name and number then watched her leave. I wanted to leave.

ㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣ

I was only partially conscious when I heard the door open and close. "You're asleep...that's fine I guess." Changmin...? I started to stir then heard a familiar tune being sung. He started stroking my hair which sent me back to my hardly conscious state, on the brink of sleep. "I know no amount of apologizing can undo what we did, but..." He went back to singing, but this time it was sadder with quiet sobs in between. Then I passed out.

I shot up in bed and looked around the room. I was alone. It was morning. Everything was quiet. I sat there, unsure of what to do. I wished this was real and that everything I've seen and heard was all a dream. I looked towards the table and saw my belongings. My slightly charred clothes, the key, my charred notes. It wasn't a dream, it was reality. A reality I no longer wanted to be in. The door opened and revealed the man from yesterday. "Well, you seem to be in good shape. We can send you home in a few hours. Who would you like to come get you?" My options were very limited, but then I made my decision.

"How are you feeling?" "Stressed. Like shit." He shook his head then briefly shook my shoulder. "You sound like you need a break. I'll take you somewhere fun." I felt I should be worried, but after everything that has gone on, this was the least of my worries. He pulled into a mini golf venue then helped me get situated with my crutches. "You know it's be hard for me to play." "Who said you were playing? We just came here to talk bud." The truth was that I did want to play.

I sat down and watched him hit the ball. "So, your boyfriend cheated while drunk and he often tells you that he still loves you. If you want my opinion, I believe he really does, but he's afraid to let go." "A blind man could even tell." "Then do you know why he's afraid to let go?" He hit the ball and it went into the hole. "Because he doesn't want to be lonely, obviously." "That's what it appears to be on the outside." He moved on the next one, leaving me confused. "Have you heard about the killings?" "Everyone has. They prefer to sweep it under the rug."

We chatted a bit more before he decided it was time to go. "I didn't think I'd feel relaxed from this. Thank you, Mr. Jo." "No problem kiddo."

I shouldn't have chosen  
Mr. Jo that afternoon.


	16. ㅅ15

We were on our way back when the car suddenly started making a weird noise. "Um..." He stopped the car and got out. "A flat. I just changed the tires too..." I sighed and decided to at least get myself comfortable while we waited. "What the...my spare tire isn't here." "What? Did you forget it?" "Nope. I checked before we went inside." It was clear as day. Someone doesn't want us returning. Or just me. "Maybe we can walk back. I'm sure road service would take too long." "Boy, you got a bad ankle. I don't think you can get far." Unfortunately, he was right. Even if he carried me, it wouldn't be a smooth trip.

We waited inside the car for road service and the sky visibly became darker at each passing moment. "Mr. Jo, I'm sorry. You're getting caught up in my mess." "What do you mean?" I sighed then told him about everything from beginning to now. "Now I see why you said stressed. Whoever it is is clearly trying to silence you. Which means you know or found something you shouldn't have." I honestly only know so little, but I guess even that is threatening. If I were to assume all of this had to do with Eric's death, then something must've happened that wasn't stated in the article.

I looked it up on my phone and proceeded to reread it.  _"Fatal fall...3 men found a young man, Eric Sohn, age 20, at the bottom of a cliff...dead at the scene...one decided to remain anonymous...Eric's boyfriend Heo Hyunjoon in hysterics...repeatedly saying 'liars'..."_  It was then I realized Hyunjoon would have information that I'm missing. I figured it was a silly idea, but, what if all of this was his doing? It wouldn't make sense as there wasn't a reason for him to. Or is there? "Oh, you're reading about that huh? I couldn't believe it since I've visited there before and they definitely had something there to keep people from falling. Maybe they were fixing it when they went..."

I noticed it had become completely dark out and it creeped me out. "Where's road service...?" "Oh, uh...Few minutes. There they are." I was briefly relived until I saw it was heading straight toward us. "Get out!" We quickly got out and went in separate directions. My foot hurt like hell, but I was more worried about my life. I hid behind a tree and heard nothing but crickets and the rustling of leaves. Footsteps soon joined in with the sounds and I prayed that I wouldn't die. A light shone on me and I was ready to accept death. "Hey." "Oh..." "Turns out he had fell asleep and that's why he was heading straight at us."

I was glad to be back on the road heading home. "What a scare huh...?" I remained silent the entire ride home. He pulled over in front of the house and helped me get out. "Be safe, Kevin." "You too."

I walked out onto the beach and considered throwing my self into the ocean. I felt something grab my arm then pain shoot through it. I couldn't see who it was, but I made a break for it, ignoring the pain in my ankle. It eventually became too much and I collapsed onto the sand. The person started getting closer and all I could do was back up. They caught up to me and stepped on my chest. "..." I wondered if this is the same fear Younghoon and Juyeon felt when they were being killed. "You win." I closed my eyes and gave up.

"Kevin!"  
I never believed in second chances.


	17. ㅁ16

I heard shuffling and grunting, but never the pain that was supposed to come. I opened my eyes and was surprised to see Changmin. "Changmin..." "Why are you just lying there? Run!" Everything told me I should, get as far away as I could. "No." I couldn't just let him do this alone. I know what I'm doing is probably idiotic, but...

I sat on top of them while Changmin held the knife. "Who is this..." I took off the hood and became confused. "Umm...who are you?" She stayed quiet and avoided eye contact. "Changmin, do you-" "No. Not at all." "Hey, answer us. Who are you and why did you attack me?" She delivered a strong blow to my side and sprinted while yelling once, "If it isn't me, it's him." I looked at Changmin who shrugged then smiled. "I'm glad that you're okay." "You should've just let me die." "I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I did. I'd go mad." His dimpled smile made my pain feel less intense. He helped me up then stole a kiss. "It was now or never, sorry."

We moved into Juyeon and Haknyeon's room as the one we shared was burnt beyond recognition. Changmin clung to me while singing in a low voice. "Did you visit me at the hospital?" He stopped singing, but didn't reply. "Did you?" "Yes." "Why?" The door had opened and I was surprised to see Sangyeon. I assumed nothing had happened as he didn't look frantic like past times. "Here." He took something out and handed it to me. "It's warm..." "We had to hide it. Hyunjoon was doing a body search." "What for..." "He said in case we had anything on us that could possibly kill someone else." I unfolded it and saw a key land on my chest.  _"Y.H...Huh..."_  I looked at it and it seemed to be the exact same key I found in the pothole.

I tried the new key in the lock of the book and felt it open. "It's open..." They both squished themselves next to me in order to see what was written. I opened it and something fell out. "Oh my-" "Disgusting..." I didn't want to observe a specific photo, but it must have clues in it to this mess. The first photo was Eric naked in bed with scratches, blood and semen all over him. "Changmin...I think this was during that party..." He looked completely shocked then had a face full of regret. "I...I didn't know...I could've prevented this...Why didn't I be the responsible one and watch over everyone..." What concerned me was the fact there was blood on him. Was he cut or was it a sick kink? Neither was ideal, but the latter was the lesser of two evils in a way.

The other photo was of Eric, Juyeon, Younghoon and Hyunjoon. Hyunjoon seemed upset, but I wouldn't blame him if Younghoon and Eric were sent to investigate something alone. And it seemed like something had happened as Eric looked deflated. "What did you get from this one?" "Well, Hyunjoon seemed upset, but I'm guessing it's because Younghoon and Eric went into some cabin together." "Hyunjoon was always the jealous type." I turned to the first page and was surprised by the neat handwriting. "I never believed in these things, but I decided to give it try. Only because he said so." I read more pages and they all seemed to be about a guy. "It turns out I'm not the one. That doesn't mean I can't change his mind. I  _will_  change his mind." "Do you think he was referring to who he liked?"

"Obviously." I skipped ahead then read an interesting page. "He chose Hyunjoon over me. I'm literally everything everyone wants in a guy. They should be careful from now on." I skipped ahead more then felt a bit sick.

"I gave him two options.  
He chose his fate."


	18. ㅁ17

There wasn't anything else after it. The rest of the pages were blank. "Do either of you know what he means?" They shook their heads which caused me to sigh. "Either way, it looks like we found out about his crush or whatever this feeling he had was." I picked up the first photo and quietly observed it again. "How could someone be so cruel...and to take a picture at that! This is psycho." "You would know, Changmin." He looked at me with a confused look and I can't say I was surprised. "You've taken a photo once. Of us."

"When...?" I looked away from him and at Sangyeon who sat on the window sill. "We'll talk later." "Why not now?" "Do you really want Sangyeon to know?" He quieted down then rolled onto his other side. I looked at the photo again and noticed Eric looked asleep in it.  _"Did he rape him then...? That wouldn't make anything better."_  Maybe that's why Juyeon died, but why did Younghoon and Haknyeon die? Why isn't Changmin and Sangyeon dead? "You two haven't seen another book like this, right?" They shook their heads and I felt defeated.

ㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣ

I quietly ate breakfast then decided to start randomly guessing about things.  _"So, if Juyeon died because of what he did to Eric, then could it be the same for the other 2? Question is, what did they do? Should I ask Hyunjoon?"_  "Changmin." "Hm." "I wanna talk to Hyunjoon, could you ask him to come here?" He nodded in response and left. I looked at Sangyeon and noticed he was mouthing something, but I couldn't tell what he was saying. "You called?" I turned to Hyunjoon then pointed to the chair. "I just wanted to ask some things." "Go on." "Did Younghoon ever do something bad to Eric?" "I don't know. Eric always told me about things, but he became quiet two months before he passed..." I could see the sadness in his eyes and I started feeling bad for asking.

"What about Haknyeon?" "He didn't seem to have a problem with him, so I guess not." I sighed as Hyunjoon was of no help. "Thanks..." He left without me asking him to do so. "I think Younghoon did something as well. It wouldn't make sense as to why Haknyeon died as well if he didn't at all." I felt someone push me down onto the bed. "Rest, Kevin. You've been at this since late in the night yesterday." "But I feel I'm close to something. Think about it. If all three did something terrible to Eric, it would make sense that someone came after them for revenge or vengeance." Changmin stared at me and I couldn't tell what he was thinking. He muttered something under his breath, but I only caught "me to you".

Sangyeon walked over to me then nodded. "Is it really? Then you know who?" He shook his head and I should've known it wouldn't have been that easy. "Well, if it is one of those, then the most probable suspect is Hyunjoon. What does he know that I've yet to find out?" "Oh!" I looked at Changmin who seemed to have a thought. "I had totally forgotten to tell you. I did some searching and it turns out Haknyeon was the anonymous person." Hearing this made me wonder why only the four of them went, especially after what Juyeon did to him. Changmin handed me his phone then tapped play on a video. Nothing was heard for a bit then Haknyeon's voice came in.

_"The trip? It was Juyeon's idea. I went along as Hyunjoon couldn't. I wish I did more then."_


	19. ㅇ18

_"A memorable moment? There's two for me, actually. The first was seeing them all get along despite how poorly they treated him a month ago. I believed something was fishy and I was right, which leads to the second memorable moment. When he fell. I had forgotten something as we were leaving and I came back in time to see him fall. That's all I can tell you. And remember, this conversation never happened."_  The video ended. "When did you record this...?" "Oh, I just recorded it from Sangyeon's phone when he wasn't around." Sangyeon seemed visibly upset, but it was a smart move. "Do you have your phone, Sangyeon?" He shook his head which caused me to sigh.

So, Haknyeon was absent for what caused Eric's fall. Or did he lie to protect himself and the others? If he did lie, then he knew what really happened. I took the small book out from underneath my pillow and flipped through it to see if anything could possibly hint to the truth.  _"Silenced by devious intent...Me or Eric? A scar like no other..."_  It wasn't much, but it was the only thing I've seen so far. "Silenced by devious intent? That's creepy." I looked at Changmin who left the room along with Sangyeon.  _"I hope there isn't a repeat of last time...Anyway, it looks like he or Eric was silenced by someone. Maybe it's the both of them. A scar like no other. Could be guilt. Wait, Haknyeon..."_  Then he did lie. So he did see what happened, but Juyeon and Younghoon told him to keep quiet.  _"Thus creating a scar like no other..."_

I thought back to the article and remembered what Hyunjoon had said then.  _"Liars."_  Eric's death wasn't an accident. It was murder.  _"I guess we know the culprit..."_  Things were too quiet in the house and I was itching to get out. I heard the door open and saw Hyunjoon standing in the doorway.  _"Of all people..."_  "Kevin, have you seen Sangyeon?" "No. Do you mind bringing me some water?" "Sure." I have all of this information, but no evidence. He cleans up well, I'll admit. The books could hardly count as they're vague about certain details. The only option I saw was to go through his things. "Here." I took the mug from him, but waited until he left to put it aside.  _"The water isn't clear. As I suspected..."_

ㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣ

Sangyeon and Changmin kept Hyunjoon and Jaehyun busy as I made my way up stairs as quietly as I could. I entered the room then looked around for his bag.  _"Here it is..."_  I unzipped it and saw nothing out of the ordinary. I tried to make sure nothing was moved around too much as I looked under things.  _"Oh?"_  I took out a book that was the exact same one Juyeon had in his bag. I opened it and flipped through the pages.  _"This is..."_  This was it. This book is their saving grace. I heard footsteps and voices and started panicking. "Come on, one more round!" "I'm tired. Let me go rest in peace." There was nowhere decent to hide. I hid behind the other side of the second bed then heard the door open.

"Look, we can play more tomorrow." He slammed the door shut then a sigh left his mouth. "I should just kill him..." I quickly unlocked my phone and set it to record in case he said anything incriminating. "Though, there's no need since I already disposed of the actual perps. They never saw it coming." He had stopped talking, so I moved to stop recording then saw something fly over my head.  _"Did he notice me..."_  I didn't hear him moving and sighed on the inside."

"Are you happy now, Eric? They've  
paid for what they did to you."


	20. ㅅ19

Eric. This had confirmed my suspicion. I quickly sent a text to Changmin then waited for his arrival. 5 minutes passed and he hadn't shown. 10 more pass and I check to see if he's seen my message.  _"What is he doing...?"_  My phone started ringing and I quickly ended the call. "There's a dead man among us..." I heard Hyunjoon moving to where I was and it was then I was sure of my death. The door opened and I couldn't tell what was happening. "Don't mind me. I'm just bringing you downstairs because the police called. They want to hear your statement again." The door closed and all was quiet. I peeked out from the side and made a dash for it.

ㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣ

I sat in the police station as I waited for them to process my findings.  _"I'm sorry..."_  I sighed then was told that they'd look into more and contact me later. I quietly left and saw Changmin waiting for me. "Hey." "Hey." I got into the car and waited for him to pull off. The ride back was quiet until I noticed we had passed the turn. "Cha-" "Quiet." I didn't say anything else as my life was in his hands. He was the one behind the wheel. He parked the car and unbuckled his seatbelt. "Are you not getting out?" "I am." I unbuckled my seatbelt then followed behind Changmin. He walked on the rocks then sat down. "You can stay there." "Why did you bring me here?"

"I wanted to have at least one happy memory from this trip." "I see." I watched as he looked out towards the ocean. "Remember when we first met? When I tripped over you and fell on top of you then you got upset. But I wasn't listening as I was too busy thinking about how I met an angel." "I didn't know you felt that way then. I was upset that you didn't see me there." I assumed he had laughed as his body shook a bit. "I'm glad I met you that way. I'd do it all again if it meant I'd be dating you." I didn't know what to say. "Thank you, Kevin, for showing me what it's like to give and receive love." "This sounds like a goodbye." "It is..."

I slapped Changmin once more. "What the hell were you thinking!?" "Why..." "Why? Was anything you did so bad that you felt the need to kill yourself!?" I held Changmin close then heard his sobs. "I'm just as guilty as them..." "What do you mean?" I gently patted his back as he continued to cry. "I knew what went on between them. I...I would ask him and he'd tell me, but make me promise not to tell anyone. I wanted to tell everyone. He was too nice for his own good." "So, Juyeon and Younghoon bullied him...?" "In a way...it was more along the lines of sexual coercion...I finally cracked and told Hyunjoon a week after the party. Everything just went downhill from there..." I couldn't help, but feel pity for him.

I drove us back to the house then stopped abruptly. "The house..." I watched as firemen hosed down the fire engulfed home. "Sangyeon!" I got out of the car and ran towards the house. "Excuse me-" "Back up kid." I did as I was told then asked. "We checked everywhere and no one was inside. I'm glad because this one is massive..." I walked away then saw someone by the car. I jogged over and saw it was Sangyeon. "You're okay. Where did Hyunjoon and Jaehyun go?" It was moments like these I wished he could talk. "I know a place we could crash at."

For once I had made a good decision.


	21. ㅈ20

I parked outside of Mr. Jo's home then told them to wait in the car. I rang his doorbell and waited for a response. A few minutes passed and I rang it again. I tried the door, but it was locked.  _"I guess he's out..."_  I turned around and walked back to the car. "Well, we can just stay in the car and wait until they arrest him." "I guess..." I reclined the seat back then closed my eyes. Hopefully they'll arrest him soon.

ㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣ

I looked out the window at the beach. It was empty. I thought back to when we first arrived and how I saw something motionless on the beach. Maybe that was a sign of the events that would happen. "What are you looking at?" "Just the beach." I felt Changmin cuddle closer then let out a contented sigh. "When are you going to tell him?" "As soon as he wakes up." Sangyeon nodded and nothing more was said. "What time is it...?" Changmin had stretched out then rubbed his eyes. "Changmin, listen to me." He turned his attention towards me. "Let's break up." "I knew this was coming...Do you really want to?" "Yes." He looked away and remained silent. The ride home was silent with the exception of the radio playing.

Hyunjoon was arrested for triple homicide and attempted homicides. It was obvious he would be sentenced to life, but he didn't seem the least bit remorseful. In fact, he smiled most of the time. Jaehyun was also given time as he was found to have been helping Hyunjoon. It turned out Jaehyun was Eric's stepbrother.

Sangyeon stopped in front of the school to let us out while he went to go park. "I'll see you on campus then..." He walked off toward his building rather quickly. I slowly walked to mine and hoped to forget everything I went through on the trip. If I was asked to do it all again, I'd immediately decline.

I entered my room then sat down on my bed. Was breaking up the right thing to do? He is at fault, but not completely. It's more of the fact he hid it from me that hurt the most. My phone started ringing and I was reluctant to answer. "What?" "I just wanted to hear your voice again...I'm sorry. I'll hang up." And so he did. It was clear that he still loved me, but how did I feel? The answer was obvious.

I still love him too.


	22. Kevin's Visits

**many months after the murders and Hyunjoon's trial...**

Things were normal. Things were boring. The buzz had died down a few months ago. It's like none of them ever attended this school. But we knew, we remembered. We had lived through a murderous nightmare that was our friend, Hyunjoon. I had questions that could never be answered. All of them, all 5 of them are dead. Jaehyun only knew so much. Even then, I couldn't contact him. I decided to visit their families and hopefully get to keep a few of their belongings I deemed were worth a look.

"Ah, so you're Kevin." I nodded as Mrs. Sohn let me in. "We already sold the things that were no longer needed and donated his clothes." "Ah, thanks for the heads up." I walked up the stairs then walked down the hall to the last door. I had only been in his room once, and it was short lived as well. I turned the knob and entered. It looked the same as before, except his open closet was now barren and quite a few things around the room were gone. I searched through drawers and shelves for anything that sparked interest. I pulled one book out and another fell to the floor. I picked it up and noticed it wasn't a book he usually read. "Loveless..." I opened it up and saw writing in it.  _"They really seem to like writing in books..."_  I flipped through pages then opened up to a bookmarked page. A folded piece of paper was cleverly placed in and I was quick to unfold it.

 _"If you found this, then you must've figured out my puzzle. Hopefully you could stop me from making a foolish choice. I love...I love who? I don't know who I love anymore."_  I momentarily stopped reading as I felt confused. There was no date, so who knew when he wrote this. Who were his other options?  _"I knew it was Hyunjoon. I felt it was Juyeon. I had endured Younghoon. I had desired Haknyeon. I had wanted Changmin. My 5 friends, each gave me a taste of the devil's fruit. I no longer have control of my own life, I'm their puppet now. Could you, possibly stop me from selling my soul to one of these devils? Please...I'm scared."_  That was it. I flipped it around, held it up to the light, everything. That was it.

ㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣ

I ended up at Juyeon's home and was let in by his dad. "Didn't think my son had friends. Never brought any home..." I nodded then was directed to his bedroom. "Hope you find whatever you need." I started searching his drawers then ended up in his closet. I found a box and pulled it out. It was filled with pictures of Eric and other random photos. The photos of Eric were either him smiling or him looking up at the camera. I couldn't make heads or tails of the ones of him looking up, but a trend I saw was he had doe-like eyes.  _"He certainly was whipped, but it's safe to call this an obsession."_  I dug through and saw folded pieces of paper at the bottom. I took one out and unfolded it.

 _"I love you Eric. Everyone could see how I drool over you. **** **** **** * **** **** ***** * Your height is adorable, your lips so delectable. **** ********** **** * ** ******** * You excite me in ways I couldn't imagine. Shit."_  I unfolded the other, but it was just explaining the kind of date they went on one day. I shook my head as I looked once more at his collection. The photos of Eric smiling were pleasing to look at as he seemed genuinely happy. Or was it all a facade?

ㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣ

I stopped by Hyunjoon's home, but his mom refused to let me in. No matter how hard I begged, she wouldn't budge.

ㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣ

I sighed as I eventually arrived at Younghoon's. "Huh. He never mentioned you. Oh, he has. Never mind." I mentally face palmed as I finally saw where he got his personality from. I was led to his room upstairs then checked out the room. I found a familiar looking book and realized it resembled Juyeon's. I pulled out the key and felt it unlock. I took off the lock and flipped to the first page.

 _"He first appeared in my line of sight. I decided then he'd be my friend. He was small, but he had a lot of ambition and determination. Cute lil guy."_  I skipped ahead a bit and saw that his transition with whoever it was worsened.  _"He was annoying again today. I wish he'd buzz off, yet he hangs around like an annoying fly. Can't he see I'm cool now? The little shit still lives in past."_  I skipped more and hoped things got better.  _"I guess he's useful. Fun to play around with. The fact that he never complains makes it worthwhile. Maybe I should've asked him out. Whatever."_  I started becoming more confused by the second. What kind of relationship did Eric have with him? From what I've gathered, it seemed like he was a plaything. What happened that Younghoon saw the need to get physical and kill him?

ㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣ

I knocked on the Ju household door and was shooed away by his mother and older sister. I tried explaining to them without revealing my true intentions and almost ended up in the hospital with a bad concussion.

ㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣ

I didn't want to, but I had to. Changmin was the last person of the group. Surprisingly, his parents had let me in despite knowing about our break up. "Actually, Chang is upstairs, so you'll have to get through him." "Ah, thanks for the heads up Mr. Ji." "Oh, you're still family Kev, so you can still call me Changgu." I nodded then headed up to Changmin's room.

I knocked on the door and heard him beckon me in. "Oh, this is..." He was sitting on the floor with a book open with a photo and scissors in hand. "Did you...?" "No, I haven't. What's up?" I sat down opposite of him and looked at the book. It was a photo album full of pictures of everyone, even Mr. Jo. "Mind if I...?" "By all means." I flipped to the beginning and didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Just 6 friends smiling and posing. "Hey, when did you notice a change in Eric? Was it just after the party or...?" "Well, he was weird for a while before then. He'd be clinging to Hyunjoon sometimes like his life depended on it. Or he'd be all over someone else and naturally it'd upset Hyunjoon." I nodded as I continued to flip through. The poses had long since disappeared and were replaced with a few of them pretending to give cheek kisses.

"Do you think...Eric possibly wasn't in his right mind?" "That's a possibility. Though, it'd be hard to pinpoint when it could've started." "Why do you think he chose Hyunjoon, despite knowing about his short fuse and jealously?" "If you ask me, Haknyeon would've been the better choice. He was the saint within our group of devils." I nodded then noticed that the pictures had lost their joy. There would be one rare one where they all smiled. I couldn't help but wonder what happened. "Why do you have these photos?" "Even if they're sad memories, they're still memories." "I've been wondering, but, have you ever thought that just maybe Eric provoked Younghoon? Like, they just so happened to be passing by that cliff and-" "Are you suggesting that he wanted to die? Then he would've just jumped off himself."

"I guess..." "There's no real way to know as the 4 people who were there are dead. Whatever happened will forever remain a mystery." "You don't think any of them took a video?" Changmin shook his head then took the book from me. "I'm throwing this out. Is there anything else?" "Yeah. I know, it's been months but...We should talk." He paused mid way in closing his drawer then looked at me. "Alright." He sat back down then crossed his arms. "Have you...found anyone new?" "Possibly." It was expected, but what could I do? We're no longer an item. "Hope it works out." "Mhm." I knew I had made things awkward, but I still wanted him back this whole time. Ever since his last phone call.

"Um, yeah. I really hope he or she treats you right. And, don't cheat on them." "Yep." I proceeded to stand up and leave his room. I closed the door behind then sighed. I must've been crazy enough to think he wouldn't have moved on all this time. "I'm an idiot." I quickly walked downstairs and didn't bother to stop and tell Mr. Ji I was leaving.

ㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣ

I kicked a rock then thought back to everything I had learned today. The possibility of Eric being their boy toy was high and him slowly losing his sanity was high as well. What started it all? Did his parents know what he was really going through? Why would Hak's and Joon's family refuse to let me in? What did they know? My ringtone had started blaring and I checked the caller ID. "Huh...Hello?" "That's all you had to say?" "Yeah. You looked busy...Do you mind apologizing to your dad for me? I kinda left without saying goodbye." "Why don't you just come back and do it yourself?" "Because..." "Because what? Because I'm here? Because you can't stomach the idea that I'm doing just fine without you?" I was hurt, I was speechless. I hung up. Was that the whole reason he even called me? Just to put me down and make a jab at me? It was obvious that I had started crying and in public at that.

"And now you're crying." "Huh?" I felt someone turn me around then slap me. "You can't just-" He kissed me. I missed the softness of his lips, the way he pulled me closer to deepen the kiss. He pulled away with tears in his eyes. "I couldn't move on even if I wanted to. I'm so fucking in love with you Kevin Moon, ever since I fell on top of you." "Really...?" "Yes really." I held him tight. I never wanted to let go ever again. "I promise, I won't cheat ever again. I'll be more responsible." I gently stroked his hair as we both hid our tear stained faces from the world.

**ya! i'm sure you're now wondering what the hell happened between them. weeeelllll, if this story gets to 350 views, i think i'll write that story out.(on wattpad)**


End file.
